From Michelin Kitchen to Trading Floor: A Chef's Pivot to Finance
Koblenz – September 15, 2026 -- Florian Sondershausen traded ten-to-fifteen-hour shifts in a Michelin-starred kitchen for full-time trading on global financial markets, eventually co-founding Haag Sondershausen Consulting GmbH to teach others what he learned along the way.
Sondershausen started earning money outside traditional jobs early: at 13 he bought Yu-Gi-Oh! cards cheaply and resold them on eBay, later working as a professional online gamer. Those digital ventures gave him an early feel for markets outside the classroom.
Health problems forced him out of the kitchen
Long shifts in fine dining eventually triggered heart arrhythmia, pushing Sondershausen to look for an alternative career. After his restaurant earned a Michelin star -- the professional goal he had set for himself -- he quit and turned his attention fully to trading.